Motor control system



Sept. 13, 1949. H. H. CONACHER MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 13, 1945 I/VI/E/VTOR' H06 HAML C0 Sept. 13, 1949. H. H. CONACHER 2,431,572

MOTOR CONTROLSYSTEM Filed on. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- I/W/AW/IWR: A 0 {/1914 (aw/9:1

Patented Sept. 13, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM Application October 13, 1945, Serial No. 622,121 In Great Britain November 4, 1944 10 Claims.

This invention relates to motor driven rotary members and a control system therefor, particularly applicable to power driven storage conveyors of the type in which containers or holders for articles are mounted on endless chains or bands. The invention has as one of its important objects the provision of means to bring any particular container or holder over the shortest path into a convenient position for loading or unloading or for giving convenient access to such containers or holders.

The invention contemplates also means for automatically cutting off the power effecting a number of operations or steps in an operation with respect to any selected location of such holders. Another object of this invention is to provide means for controlling the movement of a conveyor system to bring any particular conveyor and/or its containers into a predetermined position for loading or unloading.

Referring to the drawings there is disclosed in:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a drum switch embodying features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the drum switch of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a wiring diagram illustrating the main electric motor control circuit and the switch motor driving circuit, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a conveyor.

In the particular embodiment described the motor driven rotary member comprises a chain driven conveyor l3 which carries containers l4 for storing motor cars. The conveyor is thus capable of being moved to bring any container M to a loading and unloading position, the conveyor being driven by the main motor l2. If the motor I2 is reversible, such container can be moved over the shortest path to the unloading point. A rotatably mounted switch drum l is provided to actuate the control system for stopping and starting motor l2, such switch drum automatically shutting ed the current at a predetermined position of rotation and stopping the motor with a container on the conveyor at a predetermined position. The switch drum I is set with respect to its switch-off position by means of an arm 5 and an indicating member or disc 4 so thatthe conveyor will stop when any particu-v lar conveyor container has been moved to a predetermined or loading point. The switch drum with its indicating member is driven in unison with the conveyor so that the positions of recesses 8 in said indicator 4, in which the arm 5 is enaged, always indicate the positions of the containers.

of insulating material and mounted on a spindle- 2 which is journalled in a frame 3. The indicator member or disc 4 made of insulating material is freely mounted on the spindle 2 and is disconnectably coupled with said spindle by means of a spring arm 5 carried by a finger piece or knob 6 fixed on the spindle 2, the spring arm carrying a pin 1 which is adapted to spring look into any one of the aforesaid recesses 8 provided in the face of indicator disc 4. The drum i has a slip ring 7 which passes entirely around the drum and is internally connected as indicated by wire or line 3| (Fig. 3) to a slip ring e passing less than half way round the drum. A spring pressed wiper contact fl is in contact with the ring f, whilst contacts el and e2 are on diametrically opposite sides of the drum aligned with the half slip ring 6 to Wipe thereover. Fig. 3 for clearness of illustration shows the slip rings f and 6 side by side, although they,

are both fixed and arranged on the center shaft 2. The contacts fl, el and e2 are in circuit with the solenoid switches 9 and H] (see Figure 3) in a circuit energised by a battery H and according to whether the contact el or e2 is in contact with-the ring e, so either of the solenoid switches .9 and ID are energised for switching on the reversing electric motor l2 either into forward or reverse. The electric motor I 2 drives the conveyor I 3 carrying a number of containers M in spaced relation and therefore the electric, motor is switched off when the contacts el and c2 bear on the drum insulation at each end of the ring portion e. Should the switch be turned to. bring the ring e into contact with el the solenoid switch 9 is energised to drive the motor in one direction, but should the drum I be turned in the reverse direction the ring 6 contacts e2 and the solenoid switch H1 is energised to switch on the motor 12 in the reverse direction. The motor 12 is started in forward or reverse direction by the reversing starter switch 33. The indicator member or disc 4 has a number of recesses 8 equal to the number of containers M on the conveyor and is adapted to be driven in unison with the conveyor so that disc 4 performs one complete revolution with one revolution of the conveyor. The containers are numbered, and corresponding numbers are given to the recesses B and therefore the position of any conveyor container is indicated by the position of the correspondingly numbered recess 8, and therefore if any particular conveyor container is required to be brought to the bottom of the conveyor, the drum is turned round so that the circuit breaking position is opposite its particular correspcnding recess 8 which causes switching on of the driving motor 52, which moves the conveyor l3 and drum 1 until the drum moves again to the position shown by Figure 3 to thereby switch off the motor !2. unnecessary travel the main motor i2 is a reversing motor so that when a container on one side of the conveyor is required the motor is driven in the direction to move the 'eontainer downwards and when a container onfthe other side is wanted the motor is driven in the reverse direction to bring the container downwards and this is automatically effected by the serene-"- ment of the slip rings and e and the co actin g contact blades fl, el, and c2 as above described. The conveyor may have to be controlled from a distance and therefore the 'switch iirurn I is driven by an auxiliary electric motor l5 by'nieans of a belt or chain !6 driving the indicating 'merr' ber 4 which is normally fixed on the shift 2 by the pin 1 to rotate with the arufm 1. The in dicatin'g member 4 is shown in Fig. 3 separate for clearne'ss of illustration, but its assembly on the shaft 2 is shown in Fig, 2. The indicating member 4 is formed of insulating material and has a series of copper strips l1 the'r'earoundangl insulated from one another, and a pair of contact pins I8 and a pair of contact 'pihs 19 are arranged so that wheh'one pair lies opposite a strip II, the other pair rests on "an insulation portion intermediate two Contact shops. The'co'ntact pins l8 and 19 are respectively arranged in circuits 28 and 2| in parallel between the battery 22 and the windings '21 a d 21a orthe motor as shown by Figure 3 Included in the circuits are the make and break contacts 223 and 24 which are normallyolb'en and are closed "by a earn 25 carried by a sprocket shaft of the conveyor {3. As the conveyor revolves therefore the projection 26 on thejcam (Fig 1 alternatively closes the contacts 23 and 24. Ii- 1 the nosition shown by Figure 3 the oontaot 23"ls assumed to be closed to complete the ci'r'cuit Zll'and the auxiliary motor 15 has driven the indicating m'erh ber 4 one step to bring thecorit'acts it to rest on the insulating material which causes opening of the circuit and stopping of thornot or i5 and during this movement the contacts l9 are now shorted by onoor the mega-15mm 11. "As the cam 25 rotates the contacts o e closes and the ourrent is passed through the circuit} to arms auxiliary motor l5 until the contacts Ts he on the insulating material between two strips 1 1. Thus whentheconveyor motor 1 2 is "switched the motor 15 intermittently rot" es the indicating member and with 'it the dru'rh I. The number of strips 'or sections 11 are -equ'a l to h'al'f the nui hb'er of containers 3 4 on 'the conveyor. I h'e rcults 2n and 2-: re connected to the armature 28 of the 'motor l5 through 'a s'li'sbf "slib rings on the drum so that -the drum I and disc 4 are driven in reverse when the new motor !2 is driven in reverse as ororodosoribea. For this purpose the slip rings d an'd it are tootini'lous Tings whilst two rings are each divided into two halves c! and 6-2, HI and b2, one each half is insulated hon the other half and spring pressed contact blades dl b, b and (Z1 are wiped over bythe rings the spring d h'alf rings r, o2; half rings o l, or and ring a are fiic'ed in relation to the some spin-die 2 ant are In order to avoid the need for V shown spread out side by side for clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 showing all the slip rings and the disc 4 in assembly position. The ring d, half ring 02 and the half ring bl are internally electrically connected as indicated by line 39, whilst the ring a, half ring 112 and half ring 0! are iiiternally electrically connected, as indicated by line 32. In the position shown, the current passes from the battery 22 through field winding 21 of the reversing motor l5 through the ring a, half ring 732 and half ring cl, the armature 28 of the motor {5 and then through the half ring bl, half nog oz, d, field winding 27a of the motor "Pi batik to the battery 22. The direction or "the current through the armature windings 28 will be reversedif the drum l is given half s as the current will then pass from d, 02 to the armature winding 28 back to M and ring a, thus reversing the direction of the motor 15. W hen the switch drum is turned. through ?.from the position indicated by Figure 3, the contacts o and I) bear on the insulation portions between noes u, c, and bl, b2 and therefore re veisal "of drive of the motor 115 is'obtai'ned sin'u'ilt oe use with the 'ie'ver'sal of drive of the motor [2. The 'iirum I may be provided with any number ofslip rings roimaki g or breaking an other circuits "controlling ofie'rations, for instance, dealing with the load'ing or i'inloaj'zling of the containers M so that a ooooenoo or operations can be controlled. from a singlecontrol switch. In use, the drum I winarways stop in o, predetermined bos'i'tio'n with the contacts e1, e2, 0 and b fiiisulat ed and the motors f1; goo I5 "switched oil. The indicating rneinber 4 will always remain in position with the recesses 8 in the relative pos tions or thecontaifiei's 1'4. If it is required tb a particular container to the lowest position "on "the conveyor, the pin l is withdrawn and the knob s andwith it the drum I turns round 'to engage the pin 7 in the particular recess 8 oorr'espondiog to that container. This action thereforewi'll have brought "the half slip ring 6 into *pos'mon energising the "solenoid switch 9 or I0 and thereby starting the motor I? 'and the oo'nveyordrive. 4

In the exampl illustrated tw nt containers are assumed to be carried by the ('zoi'iveyor "so that twenty reoe's'ses 8 prov/moors the disc 4 and the recesses 8 and alsoth'e containers miay marke'orin numerical o'rder 1 o 20. If the conveyor has b een brought to rest with a container 'lfp'r nstano no. 3 container, at the load; iiig boi'nt the arm 5wil'1 be engaged in the third recess =a, and the switc 'arin n hin bosition opening the circ'riit'ofth'e motor l2. I

Thefresbective containers M "therefore are orrar'iged in the "same relativefbosition to the loadiirg point "as the corresponding recesses 8 on o the "snotf: position orpno switch drum. IfNo. 1o conta'i'ne'r is r brough't to the loading point the arm 5 is engaged in the tenth rec ss, and thedrurn one "conveyor will rotate until No. I0 container is at the loading and the tenth r'cessis at the "shut-on position orfrho 'sw toh and 'againfthe ijelativep'o's'itio ris of the recesses 8 t o the shifter: jio'sitions is he same as the relative positions of the cdntaine t rso loading point. This condition firevails whatever the direction or 'rnovement of the conveyor they be The cams 26 will n t move to complete of the circuits or '2! and thus will drive the drum I through the motor 1'5 step stepuntil the drum '1 reaches the session switching bl? the motors l2 and I5. The cam moveshdl'fa revolution whilst a conveyor moves one step forward.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A motor driven electric switch device for a rotary member comprising a rotatably mounted circuit making and breaking switch, means 00- acting with said switch for breaking an electric circuit at a predetermined position of its rotation, an indicator on the said device coupled to be driven in unison with said rotary member the movement of which is controlled by the said electric circuit, means for disconnectably coupling the said switch with said indicator for adjusting the relative angular position of same, means for rotating step by step said rotatably mounted circuit making and breaking switch, an electric motor, a device which controls the current drivin said motor to pass alternately through the motor by way of two circuits which are alternately made and broken by the step by step movement of the circuit making and breaking switch, spaced contacting strips insulated from each other and disposed at intervals around said indicator, two sets of two contacts over which the said strips wipe and arranged so that whilst one set is bridged by a strip the other set is insulated by an insulating space between two strips and one side of contacts being in circuit with one of said circuits, of the switch driving electric motor and the other set being in circuit with the other of said circuits, means for controlling the switch-driving electric motor to drive forward or reverse comprising a circuit making and breaking device in the form of a drum having two slip rings entirely around the drum and two rings each divided into two halves insulated from one another, an auxiliary electric motor, the four rings wiping over contacts connected to the fields and armature windings of said auxiliary electric motor, the slip rings being interconnected so that the current passes in one direction when the half rings on one side of the drum are wiping over the contacts and reversed when the opposite half rings are wiping over the contacts.

2. A motor driven electric switch device for a rotary member comprising a rotatably mounted circuit making and breaking switch, means coacting with said switch for breaking an electric circuit at a predetermined position of its rotation, an indicator on the said switch coupled to be driven in unison with said rotary member the movement of which is controlled by the said electric circuit, means for disconnectably coupling said clevice with said indicator for adjusting the relative angular position of same, means for rotating step by step the said rotatably mounted circuit making and breaking switch said motor comprising a device which controls the current driving said motor to pass alternately through the motor by way of two circuits which are alternately made and broken by the step by step movement of the circuit making and breaking switch, spaced contacting strips disposed at intervals around said indicator, two sets of two contacts over which the said strips wipe and arranged so that whilst one set is bridged by a strip the other set is insulated by an insulating space between two strips and one set of contacts being in circuit with one of said circuits of the switch driving motor and the other set being in circuit with the other of said circuits, means for controlling the switch driving motor to drive forward or reverse comprising a circuit making and breaking device in the form of a drum having two slip rings entirely around the drum and two rings each di vided into two halves insulated from one another, the four rings wiping over contacts connected to the fields and armature windings of a reversing electric motor, the slip rings being interconnected so that the current passes in one direction when the half rings on one side of the drum are wiping over the contacts and reversed when the opposite half rings are wiping over the contacts, and means for controlling a conveyor driving electric motor comprising a slip ring entirely therearound, a contact wiped over by the ring, a particular slip ring on the drum and contacts on diametrically opposite sides of the drum over which the said part ring wipes so that in one position neither contacts bear on the part ring, and a solenoid switch in circuit with the first mentioned contact and one contact of the second mentioned contacts and a solenoid switch in circuit with the first mentioned contact and the other of the second mentioned contact, the solenoid switches controlling the forward and reverse drive of the electric motor driving the conveyor.

3. A control system for a motor driven rotary member comprising a main electric circuit, an auxiliary electric circuit, a rotatably mounted circuit making and breaking switch device adapted to break said main electric circuit at a predetermined position of the rotation of said switch device, an indicator adapted to be coupled with said switch device and for rotation with the latter, the movement of said indicator and said switch device being produced by flow of current in said auxiliary electric circuit, and means for disconnectably coupling said switch device with said indicator for adjusting the relative positions to each other and hence the timing of the opening of both said circuits.

4. A control system for a motor driven rotary member, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said switch device is in the form of a drum, slip rings on the circumference of said drum, fixed contacts co-acting with said slip rings for breaking the electric circuits at a predetermined position of said drum, said indicator being mounted adjacent said drum and coupled to be driven in unison therewith under the control of said rotary member driven by an electric motor controlled by the said main electric circuit, said coupling means including a spring arm connected to said drum and a recess in said indicator, whereby said drum can be angularly adjusted in relation to said indicator for operating said circuits.

5. A control system for a motor driven rotary member, as set forth in claim 3, including an auxiliary motor, means for rotating said switch device step by step by said auxiliary motor, and a control device actuated by said main motor and operating the current for said auxiliary motor to pass alternatively through said auxiliary motor by way of two circuits which are alternatively made and broken in agreement with the step by step movement of said switch device.

6. A motor driven rotary member and controls therefor comprising a rotatably mounted contact operating circuit making and breaking switch device adapted to break a main electric circuit at a predetermined position of its rotation, an indicator on the said contact making and breaking device coupled to be driven in unison with that device under the control of the motor driven member controlled by the switch device, the movement of which indicator and circuit making and breaking device is produced by 7 the flow of current in an associated auxiliary electric circuit controlled by the motor driven rotary member, means for disconnectably coupling the said switch device with the indicating member for adjusting the relative positions of same and hence the timing of the opening of the circuit, means whereby the circuit making and breaking device is driven step by step by an auxiliary motor, and a further device which causes the current driving the auxiliary motor to pass alternatively through the motor by way of two circuits which are alternately made and broken in agreement with the step by step movement of the circuit making and breaking device which further contact making and breaking device comprises spaced contacting strips at intervals around the indicating member, two sets of two contacts over which the said strips wipe and arranged so that whilst one set is bridged by a strip the other set is insulated by an insulating space between two strips and one set of contacts being in circuit with one of said circuits of the swit iidriving electric motor and the other set being in ber connectable for rotation in unison with said i switch device, an auxiliary motor for driving said indicator member and through it said rotary switch device, said auxiliary motor including auxiliary electric circuit means, controlling means operatively connected with said main motor for regulating rotative movement of said auxiliary motor in accordance with the direction ofrotation of said main motor, and means for coupling said indicator member with said rotary switch device so as to adjust their relative positions to each other and hence the timing of operation of said main electric circuit and said auxiliary electric circuit.

8. A control system according to claim '7, wherein said controlling means is constituted by a cam driven by said main motor and switch means engageable by said cam for operating electric current passing through said auxiliary circuit means.

9. A control system according to claim 7, wherein said rotatably mounted switch device consists of a drum made of insulating material, and a plurality of contact elements mounted on said drum and connectable respectively to said main electric circuit and to said auxiliary electric circuit means, and contact blades engaging said elements, respectively, for operating said main electric circuit and said auxiliary electric circuit means.

10. A control system according to claim '7, wherein said indicator member is provided with insulating portions and with spaced apart contact pieces, and contact pin means engaging said insulating portions and said contact pieces, respectively, for operating direction of electric current flow through said suxiliary circuit means to said auxiliary motor and to drive the latter an said switch device step by step.

HUGH HALL CONACHER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Nordquist Dec. 15, 1942 Number 

